Foxconn Slowing iPhone 5 Production to Prevent Early Scratches, Scuffs

Foxconn is reportedly slowing down production of the iPhone 5 in an effort to prevent shipping new units that are already scuffed or scratched. Two of our own iPhone 5 units in the TechnoBuffalo offices were affected by the early scuffing, and Apple thankfully exchanged them for brand new, scuff-free devices. Aluminum obviously scratches, but customers were upset when their units showed up, fresh out of the box, with defects already.

Bloomberg said it learned of the slowdown from sources close with Foxconn and that “senior Apple managers told executives at Foxconn near the end of September to tighten production standards.” However, doing so means that Apple won’t be able to deliver new units as quickly as possible. Several analysts are already projecting that sales could bottleneck due to shortages of the new in-cell displays used on the iPhone, too.

Ultimately, we’re glad Apple is slowing down production to focus on quality control. Hopefully the reports of pre-scratched units begin to subside following the new procedures.